The Hartmann Report

People of color are dying from the corona virus at massively higher rates than the average population. Do conservatives care about the deaths of the most vulnerable- those with hypertension, obesity, blue collar jobs, poor health care, poor diets, or even people who are just old? Is a cold-hearted fantasy of 'herd immunity' behind the constant declarations that this crisis is overblown and behind the lackluster efforts on the part of Republicans to protect people? What does it mean to be historically disadvantaged as a pandemic virus sweeps the nation? If the price of rapidly toughing out this virus is the death of many vulnerable people, is that a price conservatives are willing to pay?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Representative Primila Jayapal, a leader of the Progressive Caucus, joins Thom to observe the spectacle of Trump's insane mismanagement of the carona virus. What have been and will be the legislative goals of Progressives as they struggle to protect America over the resistance of the Republican-majority Senate?Plus- Will we learn to love this clean air and want to keep it after the pandemic is over?.. And what were the lessons of the Great Depression that could inform us in the current crisis?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

When even the Financial Times recognizes that Reaganism and neoliberalism has been shown to be a failure, how will we dig ourselves out of this economic crisis? Professor Richard Wolff joins Thom with his analysis. Can we trust the Federal Reserve and the rest of the government to keep the economy going- for all of us? And why did Trump fire the Inspector General?As Biden proposes to drop the Medicare eligibility age to 60 is he moving in a more Progressive direction? Thom asks if we should repeal the Bankruptcy Act of 2002 that made it impossible to discharge student debt.How many thousands of dead Americans is a fair price to pay to get partial herd immunity and put the economy back in gear? Who would benefit, and could it be that this is Trump's unspoken policy? And Thom's listeners reflect back what they're seeing happen to the economy from where they sit.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today a lively discussion of legal ways that Democratic-leaning states could possibly band together to do things like provide universal health care, create community banks, or take action on climate change. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we rapidly approach tens of thousands of dead, is there a word for the lies of Trump and Pence that have led to losing so many Americans? When we know that military intelligence knew about the virus in Wuhan as far back as last November, how can Republicans justify delaying testing and failing to prepare to protect our front line health care workers, many of whom now have the virus? Is Pence trying to strongarm CNN into carrying Trump's daily speeches? And meanwhile, things just get weird with Jerry Falwell.And Zach Corrigan of Food and Water Watch joins Thom to discuss the origin of the corona virus- and many other diseases that cause human suffering- from eating animals.And as Bernie bows out of the race, but not out of the struggle, Progressive leader in the House Mark Pocan takes on listener questions about what Progressive in Congress are fighting for, and what recent legislation really means for the common person.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Has the Supreme Court made a partisan decision by not allowing Wisconsin to extent the deadline for absentee ballots?- even when many citizens haven't even received their ballot yet?; The Republican War on Voting rolls on! And with nearly all the urban polling places closed in Wisconsin's primary- but not the rural ones- is this the test run for massive voter suppression in November?And now it comes to light that Trump's family is heavily invested in the company that makes the drug that Trump keeps promoting (even though it has often fatal side effects). When will all of America wake up to the fact that we have a grifter in the White House?And Brit journalist Victoria Jones joins Thom with the latest scuttlebut on Boris Johnson's severe case of Covid. And as the Queen makes her fifth-ever speech to the nation, how is Britain responding to the pandemic?And as Trump continues to ask the Supreme Court to throw out the Affordable Care Act, will 20 million Americans lose their health care coverage after that decision a month from now?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can Fox News be sued for endangering people's lives with their entertainment product they pass of as news? Thom is joined by Washington State citizen Arthur West- his group WASHLITE - Washington League for Increased Transparency and Ethics has Fox News in court over their months-long insistence that Covid was some kind of 'Democrat Hoax', and urging people to take plane flights and otherwise endanger themselves.For the Book Club, Thom reads portions from his book "Threshold" and also Greg Sargent's "An Uncivil War: Taking Back Our Democracy in an Age of Trumpian Disinformation and Thunderdome Politics."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The good news is that kind-hearted Samaritans are thinking of ingenious ways to help senior citizens in isolation. The bad news is that when red states start being heavily impacted by Covid-19, watch for the Trump machine to start slinging blame at the Left as a scapegoat. And - Jared Kushner, America's 'blunderkind' knows better than the experts!- or not...How to swipe your credit card without exposing it...Should Biden and Bernie team up?.. Coyotes in Manhattan... How Cuba is handling lockdown... The propagandists fawning over Trump in his press room... And is Trump using this crisis to accelerate his attack on the professionals that keep the federal government running?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We now know that Trump was warned by the military early February in an unclassified briefing that as many as 150,000 Americans were likely to die- and in fact he probably knew much earlier- so why didn't he do anything? And now that thousands of Americans are dead- and counting- from what Trump called a month ago 'A Democrat Hoax', will the Fox News crowd finally realize what kind of man they are following, or will they follow him blindly into a crisis? Should Trumpsters be asked to wear their maggot hats so we can see them coming and keep at least six feet away?Plus - Trump's ridiculous response letter to Chuck Shumer... avoiding pandemic-inspired scams... with so many people losing their jobs and higher costs due to the pandemic become a death-spiral for the health insurance system?.. bailing out the rich- again... the L.A. rent strike... qAnon carona virus truthers... And the mooseherder checks in with his 'Republicans for Biden' plan... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Economics professor, Dr. Richard Wolff joins Thom to discuss why the Coronavirus Crash could be worse than the Great Depression.A normal person as president would anguish over telling his nation that a quarter million people were going to have to die because he listened to Fox News hosts and spent two months holding rallies and playing golf when he could have been ordering test kits, ventilators and personal protective equipment.The election, and a new president, cannot come fast enough.For the Book Club, Thom reads from Richard Wolff's "Understanding Socialism."See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.